Betrayal - Introducing: Creating a Con: The Story of Bitconned

Episode Date: April 3, 2024

We are excited to let you know that ALL episodes of Creating a Con: The Story of Bitconned are available and 100% Ad Free exclusively with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription on Apple Podcasts, so you can binge the entire season! Go to Apple Podcasts and search for iHeart True Crime+ and subscribe today! " Episodes will be premiering free to listeners starting Wednesday, April 3rd, on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Creating a Con is a true crime anthology podcast that goes inside the minds of the most prolific modern-day con artist. Their schemes may be new, but their tactics are tried and true. In Season One, you’ll meet Ray Trapani – a 26-year-old whose schemes targeted pharmacies and a payment app before he created his biggest con yet: a tech startup endorsed by DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather that was built on empty promises, fake executives, and millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. Listen here and subscribe to Creating a Con: The Story of Bitconned on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the summer of 2017, my best friend founded one of the hottest startups in the world. I went from working construction hating my life to just making 9 grand, 10 grand, 12 grand, and just living like a maniac. His company instantly became a massive success. He was the poster child of an emerging market. Even the New York Times profiled his company. But here's the thing about my best friend Ray. I always wanted to be a criminal. If someone's like, oh, what's your best way of making money? I'm like, oh, we should start some sort of scheme.

Ray had this crazy ability to find a loophole and turn it into millions. He's like, this market's so on tap, we should definitely jump on this. Anytime I see flaws in something like this, I have to export, I cannot help myself. My best friend found himself at the helm of a cutting edge technology company. His business, Centratec, was gonna disrupt the banking industry.

I was just getting hyped up about what was going on and what this company could be. They collected $30 million. There were headlines about it. Even some of the biggest celebrities jumped on board. You really got DJ Khaled and Floyd Manny Mayweather to endorse Sentra Tech? Wow.

When something sounds too good to be true, chances are it is. As just a regular person sitting on the outside, it's hard to tell what's fact and fiction. I was like, this doesn't seem legitimate. Absolutely not. Came into my office, opened my email, and the subject heading was FBI request.

I had gone into this thinking, this is a pretty wacky caper, but that took this to a whole different level. It was only a matter of time before the truth came out. You can only fake it till you make it for so long before they find out that your Harvard degree is not so crimson. How could you sit there and do something

that you know will objectively cause more harm in the world? You seem to have developed quite a track record of not paying people, not living up to contracts. Fake pictures, fake degrees, stuff that's easy to prove is false. I was just like every day on super high alert thinking they're coming for me. This was not going to end well for them, and they didn't seem to understand that. To learn the truth behind Ray Trapani and his company Centratec, subscribe and listen to Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin.

I wanted to let you know that all episodes of Creating a Con, the story of Bitcoin are available exclusively on the iHeart True Crime Plus subscription on Apple Podcasts and are 100% ad free, so you can binge the entire season. So head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today. Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new kind of daily podcast from Hello Sunshine, hosted by me, Danielle Robay. And me, Simone Boyce. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more.

I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side. You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives, shine a light on a little advice that they want to share. Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network. I heart open your free I heart app and search the bright side. I'm Alex Campbell, a high school teacher from KT studios podcast, murder 101 in the spring of 2018. I tasked my sociology class with an ambitious project to crack a case

gone cold for decades. Thanks to, the host of the podcast, Creating a Con, the Story of Bitcoin. This podcast dives deep into the story of Ray Chippani and his company, Centrotech. I'll explore how 320-somethings built a company out of lies, deceit, and greed. I've been saying since a very young age that I was gonna be a millionaire.

If someone's like, oh, what's your best way of making money? I'm like, oh, we should start some sort of scheme.